How to plan a wedding guide - where to start

You’ve got engaged! Congratulations! Let me be one of the first to wish you a long and happy life together.

So now what? Well the world is really your oyster at this point.

Your first decision is really two fold:

• Who do you want to celebrate your day with? And…

• Where do you want to get hitched?

Once you know the answers to these questions, you can start to fill in the blanks.

Who do you want to celebrate your day with?

This is important as it tells you what kind of size venue you are after, the rough location and the facilities you need.

For example

• If you have elderly or infirm relatives that you want there, they need to be able to travel to the location and actually access it. Mountain top and lake side ceremonies are now a real possibility with the recent changes to where you can get married, but if your elderly great grandmother can’t get there, this might not be the best option for you.

• If your family has lots of kids, you may want a smaller hotel with its own grounds in which the kids can run around in.

• If you want a big family wedding with your friends from work, the rugby club, your dance troop and all the scout leaders in the area, you will want to look for a bigger venue that caters for this.

• Also, if you just want to leave everyone behind and just do your own thing, maybe an elopement on the side of a mountain in Scotland is exactly what you need.

Where do you want to get hitched?

Do you want to get married in a church? In a castle? In a tipi in the deep dark woods? Under the stars? Ace!

If this is the case, have you considered using a Celebrant? They can provide really useful advice as to what locations are and aren’t approved for marriage registrations. As some places will not be approved, a Registrar will not marry you and you will have to separate the legal administration from your ceremony. This can be arranged at your local Register Office and a Celebrant can happily advise you on this. Once the legal formalities are complete, your Wedding Ceremony can take place.